


Bad Weather Makes Good Bedfellows

by Polywantsanother



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bad Weather, Blizzards & Snowstorms, F/M, Fluff, No Sex, No Smut, One Shot, Romantic Fluff, Sharing a Bed, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, it's not paying attention, it's thirst, they're too oblivious to notice the mutual pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-30 00:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19841749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polywantsanother/pseuds/Polywantsanother
Summary: Years after the war ended, everyone has gone their separate ways. A call for help comes from the South Pole and involves spirits, which means the whole GAang agrees to go. Katara, who has spent the last year being truly alone for the first time in her life, jumps at the opportunity to see everyone again. Especially when Katara assumes that they'll be stuck indoors the first day with an approaching storm on the horizon.But nothing ever goes as planned.Katara and Zuko end up further in the snowfields when the storm hits and have to make a shelter. But it's tight quarters and a long time since they've been close.





	Bad Weather Makes Good Bedfellows

The only solace Katara took from the moment she realized what had happened was that she had been proven completely correct.

“It’s really coming down,” Zuko said as he came up beside her.

“I know,” Katara replied, her voice as dry as kindling. Zuko smiled and laughed softly.

They had all traveled down to the South Pole after rumors of weird Spirit activity. Katara had been looking forward to it since it would be the first time they were all together in a year. Growing up had proven to be a quieter sort of destruction, and they had drifted like icebergs in the open sea after the war. She and Aang had broken up two years ago; the split had been amicable but had taken till now for the awkwardness to subside. Katara had moved to Ba Sing Se to study medicine at the university while also training with Toph. Sokka lived in Kyoshi with Suki, and Aang was traveling - though he often picked up Zuko for random excursions.

While the Spirit sightings were not good news, Katara had been excited to have a reason to reunite. They had gathered in the lodge and organized packs, talking about supplies and the sightings. The Spirit or Spirits in question had been spotted in various places, all miles away from each other. Not impossible for Spirits, but it required the group to separate in order to cover more ground. They discussed how to set up the teams and where they should go. While it annoyed Katara to think that they would be splitting, she was comforted by the fact that the building storm on the horizon would keep them indoors for a day or two. 

Katara had seen the storm clouds immediately when they first landed. Aang claimed it was due to the Spirit and a good sign. Katara only knew the blizzard it would bring and urged they wait it out. Aang stressed the urgency of containing the spirits as soon as possible.

Clearly, she had been overruled. And clearly, she had been right.

In regards to the storm, he believed that Toph and Suki would take a sled and run a wide perimeter around the village to examine the surrounding land. If the storm hit, they would be the least prepared so keeping them closest to the village was ideal.

Sokka would go with Aang on Appa, since Aang's bending could protect them both if something went wrong. They could also go further out into the area where the ice was thinner or over open water.

Zuko and Katara were the best match for being prepared to go even further from the village and deal with the storm. Everyone else agreed and they were sent out. Appa flew off, the seld pulled away, and Katara dragged Zuko on a block of ice.

That had been funny.

“What?” Zuko asked after she snorted.

“How scared were you while we were skating?” Katara questioned, tilting her face back a bit to look at him. He turned away from her and idly scratched behind an ear.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Zuko replied.

Katara turned her back to the wall and looked around. 

Building the igloo had been easy. Contrary to the stereotype, the Water Tribe peoples who lived on the ice didn’t live in them. They were temporary for hunting, or in emergency situations. She had been able to use her Waterbending to quickly dig out the lee side of a hill. The spiral construction was easy, and Zuko used his firebending to melt the inside enough to create the insulation they needed. They hadn’t bothered with a door and Katara got fancy with the window so they could see the chaos outside through a clear sheet of glass.

“That brazier isn’t doing a good job keeping this thing warm,” Zuko remarked as he backed away from the window and deeper into the pit. Katara looked over at it and shrugged.

“It’s not supposed to. It only needs to keep the ventilation shaft clear.” She explained. After a pause, she faced Zuko. “Are you cold?”

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

Katara chuckled and slid toward him. Because the shelters couldn’t be made too large, she had no choice but to sit with her hip against his. It didn’t bother her, but she felt Zuko shift uneasily every time it happened.

“Weren’t you the same guy who swam through the sewers of the North Pole? And dragged Aang out in a blizzard just like this?”

“I was a younger man then.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did something happen to your fire again?”

Zuko pushed her over as Katara started to laugh. He leaned the other way, covering his mouth with a hand but his shoulders shook. It had been a long day, but Zuko had managed to keep her cheered. Even when they had been going through their packs and Sokka had teased him mercilessly about the parka, Zuko seemed at ease. The trip over the ice fields had been a test of endurance for Katara, but Zuko had flailed about trying to keep his balance and hold of her. Yet even after being buffeted by storm winds, he managed to tell jokes while they worked on the igloo.

Now, as the evening had certainly settled in, Katara could see the lines of fatigue in Zuko's face. They would have to sleep soon.

When Katara sat up, she started unbuttoning her parka. Zuko watched her for a second and went stiff.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Did you want to freeze in your sleep?” She shot back. When he blinked, Katara sighed.

“You want as many layers between you and the snow as possible. Then, just like with your bending, the more air involved, the warmer we’ll be. I’ll use my parka and stuff under us, and we can use yours as a cover.” She explained. Zuko paled and Katara tried to ignore the pain of embarrassment.

“You mean we’ll be sleeping, together?” He asked. Katara made an exasperated noise and reached out to slap at him. Zuko moved with a grin and she sighed again.

“Not like that. It’s just the best way to stay warm if we let the heat circulate between us.” She said.

Except when he blushed and looked away, so did she.

“Okay. Well.” She said and fidgeted with the ties of her parka. She remembered the days as a small girl when she and Sokka had built igloos and slept together. They had been bundled under furs, and the heat allowed them to wear their thinner underclothes. It was just what they did.

“Don’t make this weird.” Katara snapped.

“I’m not!” He retorted. When he saw her open parka, his eyes widened and he turned away again.

“It’s another jacket!”

“I just didn’t expect you to start undressing!”

“Fine! Zuko, I’m taking off my clothes now!”

Zuko covered his face and made a strangled noise as Katara jerked herself out of her parka. In the small space, her arm got caught awkwardly and she had to flail about to free it. Zuko relaxed a bit and tugged on the sleeves. As she began to unbutton the inner coat, Zuko laid the parka down on the snow.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen me in fewer clothes before.” She continued to mutter. They had taken trips to various beaches together and there had been a considerable difference in layers.

“It’s not the outfit, it’s the act of taking it off.” Zuko said, his voice low.

They were quiet as Katara took off the coat and spread it over her parka. Without saying anything, Zuko started to unbutton his parka.

Katara doubted Zuko was ever cold. The training he had done as a child had allowed him to move in the North Pole that even the natives couldn’t. He had survived the Cooler with ease. And he had only gotten better at his non-martial firebending.

But he had brought a parka when they had flown down to the South Pole, which meant he had it beforehand.

Katara watched his pale fingers pull the whalebone buttons from the otterseal leather loops. The wooly elk wool was dyed with the deep indigo of the Mother’s Blood seaweed that only bloomed in the South Pole. The leaping lapine fish embroidered in crisp, white wool was the mark of a nearby village.

As Zuko pulled it off, she looked at him.

“Where did you get that?”

Zuko paused and looked back at her.

“Sokka gave it to me.” He answered. He lied so easily. His voice was steady and his face was perfectly blank.

“No, he didn’t. He thought you wouldn’t need it.”

Something fell from the chimney vent and the brazier sputtered as it swung. The already weak light dimmed and everything got dark. In a breath, Katara felt Zuko in front of her, leaning against her as he stretched up to the brazier. Katara shifted around so her face wasn’t in his stomach and he murmured an apology as he reignited the pitiful flame.

“Do you have more tinder?” He asked. “This got really wet.”

“Not much,” Katara admitted. Not enough to set a whole new flame if they wanted it to last the night. Rummaging through her small bag, she picked up one of her mittens and a knife.

“Here.” She said and handed Zuko the tinder. He put it in the brazier and relit it.

“That caught quicker than the first time.” He said and sat back down. Glancing at Katara, he saw her shove her ripped mitten into her bag.

“Did you unstuff your mitten?”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Katara, you need that.”

“We need to not freeze Zuko!”

“Fine.” He said and suddenly swept Katara up in one arm, lowered them both on her parka, and draped his over them with his other hand. Stunned, Katara barely noticed her horizontal shift.

“I’ll keep you warm.”

Katara froze anyway.

Zuko was not wearing another jacket, and only had on a long-sleeved shirt that clung to his body. Laying on his right side, he had pulled Katara in toward his body. His right arm was under her neck and his left was a brace over her middle. Her hands, trapped between their bodies, stuttered before landing lightly on his chest. She could certainly feel the warmth radiating from him.

“The snow is incredibly uncomfortable,” Zuko said and rolled his shoulder around.

“Yeah,” Katara replied, her breath shaky.

“Are you cold?”

He sounded so worried. It made a lump form in Katara’s throat and she struggled to swallow.

“A little.” Her voice was getting smaller and smaller. “My hands.”

Zuko’s left arm moved and he took one of Katara’s hands gently. As he started to take deep, steady breaths, his hand warmed. The breaths he let out were curls of steam from his noise that left frozen crystals at her hairline.

But he got so much warmer.

“You don’t need the parka,” Katara said stubbornly.

“No.”

“Why do you have it?”

“Because I like it.”

Katara clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I mean, why did you come to the South Pole to get it?”

“I didn’t come here to get it. I came to see the lights and I bought it then.”

Katara shifted down to look up at him.

“You went to see the lights?”

“Everyone kept talking about it, but I could never get away when you or Sokka would be going. So when I was free, even though none of you were, I went.”

“You went to see the lights by yourself?”

“I did.” He paused and took up her other hand. “It was beautiful.”

The Spirit Lights could be seen in both poles at various times of the year, but they were more vibrant in the South Pole, and especially during the Festival of Light. Sometimes the Festival coincided with the Winter Solstice and the celebration would go on for weeks. No matter when it was, though, it was always a large and rambunctious festival.

Not something she could imagine Zuko doing by himself.

It also annoyed her a bit. To think that he had traveled to her home without so much as telling her.

“You should have gone with someone,” Katara stated and tried to maneuver a wider gap between them. Zuko only draped a leg over hers.

“You should have come with me.” He replied.

Her breath left her and Katara shivered.

“Oh?”

“Then you would’ve gotten one of these superior parkas.” He added. Her shivering stopped and Katara twisted her face in confusion.

“Wha-” She stopped as she was jerked up a bit. Zuko stretched down and Katara heard rapid popping. Then something warm was draped over her legs.

“Hemmed parka,” Zuko stated with smug satisfaction and laid back down. Katara looked at his face, at his smile, and started laughing.

“So a wearable sleeping bag?” She managed.

“It was ingenious,” Zuko said. He looked at her, and Katara felt warmth in her chest.

“Why did you want to see the lights so badly?” She questioned.

“I wanted to see where beauty came from.” He said, still looking at her.

“Zuko…”

“Are you cold?”

She was too warm. Pools of heat collected in the souls of her feet and the tips of her fingers. She felt the heat in her scalp and deep in her belly. Her breath was hot in her mouth.

“No.”

Zuko told her about the festival, still making sure to take deep, steady breaths. He circulated warm air and it allowed Katara to soften, for them both to find more comfortable positions together. She closed her eyes as he told her about the fireworks, the food he ate, and the people he stayed with.

His breathing was rhythmic, almost tidal, and his voice was the soft susurrus of waves. She drifted in his ocean.

Katara woke first. It was pitch black in the igloo, and she knew that the vent had been buried in snow. The air wasn’t yet stale, but it was cold too far away from Zuko’s warmth, so it was recent.

“Zuko.” She whispered, for some reason wanting to be quiet but needed to wake him. “Zuko, the vent is closed.”

“Mmmmmmmm.” He intoned and pulled her closer to him. She chuckled and tapped firmly on his chest.

“Zuko, I need to clear the vent.”

“Mmno. It’s cold.” His words slurred as he barely moved his mouth. He still hadn’t opened his eyes.

“Zuko, we will either freeze or suffocate. I have to.”

“MMMM.” He intoned again, but louder and now scowling with his eyes still closed.

“Zuko.”

It was a habit of domesticity. Both of them had been in long term relationships, and Katara herself still had habits left over from having been so intimately tied to another person. Yet even knowing what was happening as it happened, it still caught her off guard.

Zuko dipped in and kissed her, swinging away and upright. She watched him shoot fire out of a palm up through the vent and letting in a shaft of cold light. He did not relight the brazier, but instead immediately came back down, pulling the parka tight over them and embracing her again.

Who had he kissed? The thought confused her, but not with the awkward embarrassment of mistaken identity. It was a more painful confusion and it made her tongue dry in her mouth.

“You can pull the igloo down.” He said.

“What?”

Zuko snuggled closer to her, nuzzling his face into her neck.

“I cleared the vent, you can pull down the igloo. But not right now,” He sighed and his warm breath curled in the dip where her neck met her shoulder. “Bending all night was exhausting.”

“All night?” Katara repeated. She pulled away from him and looked down at his face. The little light the vent let in barely illuminated the igloo, but her eyes had adjusted in the dark enough to see him. He opened his scarred eye.

“The brazier went out six more times and I can’t bend in my sleep.”

“You didn’t sleep?” Katara exclaimed and Zuko winced.

“I mean, I did. A little. I dozed so I could pay attention to the flame and keep us warm.” He explained.

Katara wriggled back under the parka and pulled the edges around him furiously.

“You need to sleep, at least a little. You won’t be able to make it back.”

“I don’t want us to freeze.”

“This is my home.” Katara snapped. “I can manage to keep us alive long enough for you to take a nap.”

Unabashed, Zuko smiled and closed his eye again.

Katara kept quiet and waited till his breathing was light and even. She tried not to just stare at him, but there was nothing else to look at, or even to do. Getting out from under the parka would be dangerous for both of them, so she couldn’t even busy herself with packing or checking her gear.

What, then, had Zuko done all night? And how had that resulted in the flippant, familiar kiss?

Staring at him, she wondered.

For everything that had been done to him, he had made the choice to give lovingly. Even as a teenager, when Zuko would snap and scowl, he gave for others.

When a ceiling crumbled over them, when they hunted down a killer, or when he took a bolt of lightning to the chest.

Her hands again went to his chest. He was still warm, but it wasn’t radiating as obviously as before. If she had more range of movement, Katara would have been able to check his energies. As it was, she could feel the node that was always held in place here at the scar.

Firebenders carried their bending in their breath. In them, Katara could always sense their energy in their lungs and belly.

Azula’s lightning had buried an ember in Zuko that could not be extinguished. Unlike how Aang’s chakra had been blocked, this almost acted like a lodestone. Zuko’s energy was pulled in orbit around it and kept in constant motion. It should have burned him up long ago.

“Why do you keep doing this?” She whispered.

“When I was a child,” He whispered back, making her scowl. “I was taught the war was how we would share our greatness with the world. But war doesn’t share, it inflicts.”

“But why like this?” Katara pressed.

“Uncle told me I had the power to help bring balance. And it took all of us. All four nations, and both types of people.” His words were slurring again and Katara - in a lapse of domesticity - began to brush back his hair from his face.

“That doesn’t mean you have to die from it.” She said.

“I’m the great-grandson of Sozin, destruction is in my blood.”

“Good thing I’m a healer.”

“My perfect balance.” He murmured and pulled her close.

“Get some sleep Zuko.” Katara said and kissed his temple. “We’ll need to leave by mid-morning.”

Katara kept quiet again and focused on her own breathing. As she felt herself drift off again, she struggled, fearing this was what she had been warned about since infancy.

The cold was a loving killer. It would be a blanket and cover a whole tent if their fire went out. The family would be dead by morning.

But she could feel Zuko’s warmth, hear his breathing, and the blanket settled easily over them both.

Katara woke up to blinding light.

Her eyes watered as she sat up, trying to cover her face. Letting her hands up slowly, her eyes adjusted and she looked around.

The igloo was gone.

Zuko was gone.

In a panic, Katara jumped up and looked around, immediately beginning to shiver. Both panic and the cold jammed into her muscles, making them seize in shuddering bursts. Her throat was paralyzed and she couldn’t call out.

The cold could make people do crazy things if it didn’t ease them into sleep first. People would go insane and take off their clothes, running into the open expanse before anyone could stop them. Those people were never found.

“Katara.” The hissed whisper came from behind her and she jumped. Zuko put a hand on her shoulder and pointed back the way he came with the other.

“Look.” He said.

A massive spirit that looked like an ethereal eel whale swam over the tops of snow mounds. It moved aimlessly, mimicking the fat, lazy cat koi in Zuko’s ponds.

“What do we do?” Katara asked in a whisper.

“Do we do anything? It doesn’t seem to be acting weird.” Zuko whispered back.

As Katara opened her mouth to reply, the spirit let out a mournful bellow. Katara and Zuko covered their ears but watched as it dove into a snowbank, sending a spray of snow upward. It glittered in the sky like multicolored flames before falling in a shower.

Before either could ask a question, the spirit erupted skyward with a more discordant bellow.

“I think it’s lost.” They said in unison. They glanced at each other and then scrambled back for their things. Katara pulled on her frozen jackets while Zuko slipped into his and started packing up.

“What happened to the igloo?” Katara asked.

“I melted it.”

“Why?!”

“Because I heard a strange noise and I needed to give us a way out!”

“And then you followed the noise?”

“Well, yeah!”

“Zuko!”

“Yell at me later, let’s go wrangle a lost spirit!”

Zuko stood in front of her, the pack on his back and holding out her mittens. They had been restuffed and his were not presently visible.

When she looked down at them and back at him, he sighed and shook them at her.

“You can yell at me later okay?”

Katara glared at him and snatched the mittens from his hands.

“No more unnecessary bending.” She ordered.

“Of course.” Flippant again.

“I don’t want to lose you.”

“Never.” He said. His voice wavered and she knew he was telling the truth.

The bellow called again and Katara pulled up a board of ice. With more ease and comfort than yesterday, Zuko got on the board behind her and put his arms around her middle.

“You better not knock me off then.” He said, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

“No promises. You better just hold on tight.” She retorted. Not giving him a chance to respond, Katara used her bending to push off against the snow and propelled them both forward.

She would push, and he would pull, so they could always be in balance.


End file.
